Visiting my father-in-law in Northern California provides many opportunities for outdoor fun. 10 years ago I hiked up Mt. Lassen and this morning I hiked it again. Getting to the trailhead early I was 3rd vehicle in the lot and only one had people. This is significant for the following reason. A minivan rolled up with squealing preteen girls going apeshit about the snow. Cool, I get it. Been there as a dad and coach, but today was for some outdoors and nature. Onward. I got to the trailhead and started the ascent at 7:15am. The wind was brutal and cold. It was easily in the 40 degree range. I’d guess the wind was hitting 25 to 40 mph and only gaining shelter on the westward zigzag portion of the hike in the last mile provided any relief from the punishment. I pushed on and hit the crater top at 8:30am after 2 1/2 miles of work.

A brief snow section at the summit was interesting to see this late in June. Snow patches were plentiful at the summit.

The view towards Mt. Shasta were amazing. I just sat and stared while eating a snack off the trail and snow.

The volcanic action that was responsible for the upheaval that blew off the top of the mountain is very apparent. Everywhere you look you can see huge lava rocks. Frozen in time for the last 100 years the rocks are an eerie reminder of the destruction that occurred.

In the subalpine zone below 8,500 feet of elevation the whitebark pines dominate the trail. Twisted up and gnarled these trees are strong and have endured for ages.

Lots of snow at the crater top. The absolute summit is in the left rear. Completely overcrowded nonsense.

Looking west you can see all the way to Redding and beyond.

Leaving the park I stopped and enjoyed this vista of the mountain about a huge meadow.

If you’re curious about food and are thinking of switching to a plant-based diet but have concerns try a Beyond Meat burger. They’re full of flavor and the texture is sure to please people that don’t care for traditional veggie burgers.

These grill up great and take the place of animal burgers very very well. It’s a great step in the right direction.

We were up early this morning for my middle daughter’s CalSouth State Cup round of 32 game. The drive to Irvine, CA took an hour and forty two minutes. Loads of traffic near the end of the 104 mile drive.

The game itself was a great match. Lots of hard play and neither team gave an inch. A total of 6 yellow cards were thrown and lots of passion was shown by both squads. My daughter plays a central defender position and she was a rock. She handles the D like a champ.

The game ended 1-1 and went to PKs. Unfortunately they lost 3-2. I’m still proud of the Aztecs 02 girls for giving it their all.

After the game we headed to Newport Beach. I’ve never taken the family to the coast in the area of SoCal. I was last over here in 1991. I lost my car keys at The Wedge back then and handed come back. It was a great time relaxing in the warm air and just doing nothing. My wife requested I put on some reggae. After a few songs I completely dozed off and fell asleep in my chair! It wasn’t the chill vibe that pushed me over. It was waking up at 5:30am and then driving over 100 miles. Life is a workout some days.